


make it through

by tiedbows



Series: to boldly go (beyond the stars) [1]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Star Trek Fusion, Background Relationships, Gen, Implied/Referenced Character Death, i had a lot of feelings after season 6 so if you haven't seen it yet...., keith's dad is only mentioned, you should probably watch that first
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-20
Updated: 2018-06-20
Packaged: 2019-05-25 21:49:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,163
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14986325
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tiedbows/pseuds/tiedbows
Summary: Krolia has a heart-to-heart with her son and thinks about the future





	make it through

**Author's Note:**

> i have so many other things i should be/was working on but lakgklghaklgh i blame all this talk of sheith being t'hy'las
> 
> the sheithy goodness will come later but for now have some of my channeled krolia & keith feels from s6

 

“Are you ready to talk about what happened earlier?”

 

Her son’s eyes turned downward to stare intently at his bandaged fists curled in his lap. The only reaction Krolia got out of him was the slightest twitch of his cheek as she continued to apply the disinfecting ointment. The cuts were shallow enough that they wouldn’t leave behind any scars, according to the medic. Krolia set down the swab and sighed. 

 

“Keith, please,” she tried again. 

 

If there’s one thing she knew best, it was her son. He was the perfect mix of her and his father: a fiery determination and protective nature wrapped in calm ease and sharp intellect. Deep down he’d never instigate a fight unless he felt it was necessary to defend himself or someone else. 

 

Keith's shoulders sagged under her stare. It took him a few ticks before his eyes could glance up at her before looking away.

 

“They were talking about you… and dad,” he said. 

 

She blinked, processing his words. This was definitely not what she was expecting. 

 

“Okay,” she said, voice leveled. “What were they saying to make you so upset?” 

 

Krolia already had a few ideas.

 

She caught how he tightened his fists again in an effort to channel some of his remaining frustration. “The whole thing started just because I beat Illok’s record in the latest sim by a few ticks,” he began. Keith’s voice oozed with leftover bitterness. It made her want to hold him, but she resisted. “Said it was a fluke, like me. But that’s not what made me angry.” 

 

Keith met her eyes this time, and for the first time since they had arrived back home, she could see the mix of emotions raging a storm in his heart. 

 

“He said humans are weak, and that you had done the Galra a dishonor as an ambassador by mating with a lesser species,” he said, his large eyes starting to shine under the bathroom lights. “He said if my dad hadn’t been human, he would probably still be alive.” 

 

Keith was in her arms before Krolia could stop herself. Lithe arms wrapped around her in a firm embrace as she began carding her fingers through his hair slowly, mindful of her claws. She couldn’t remember the last time she held him like this—perhaps when Keith was still a child—but it made her painfully aware of how small he was compared to her. He was far from delicate, but compared to other mixed Galra in his training program he was basically the runt of the litter. A small part of her was tempted to deal with that Illok brat personally for going that far.

 

“I miss him,” came a small voice, and it made Krolia hold him tighter. 

 

“So do I, Keith. So much,” she said. 

 

A lot had changed in addition to her losing a mate and Keith’s father over one Earth year ago. Leaving their home and old lives behind on Earth was much harder after relocating back to Daibazaal, home of the entire Galra population. Krolia was accustomed to reporting back to her home planet on occasion for business, but Keith had never traveled with her. He had quickly gone from blending in with humans to standing out in a sea of violet.

 

“Mom?” his voice came out muffled against her shoulder. 

 

“Yes?” 

 

“How did you know dad was the one you wanted to be with?” 

 

Krolia pulled back this time and gathered her son’s face in her hands. His eyes were still slightly red but clear. Goodness, Keith looked so much like his father. She traced a thumb over a cheekbone still hidden under some baby fat. He was barely 14 in human years, incredibly young by Galra standards, but she couldn’t help but wonder just how much he would mature in a few years from now. 

 

“I didn’t know right away,” she said, fixing some stray hairs. “I went expected to establish a connection with Earth, but I found much more than that. Your father showed me a kindness and strength in humans that I would have never encountered otherwise. Falling in love with him was only... natural.” 

 

She smiled while she continued to study his face. “He may be gone, but he gave me the one person I love most in this world. You.” 

 

Krolia watched his eyes softened at her truth. She could still recall the few moments she had ever seen that exact same look. It was the first time she said “I love you.” The second time had been the day Keith was born.

 

A flicker of doubt crossed his face. "Do you think dad would have wanted me to apply for Starfleet like he did, or the Blade of Marmora?" 

 

She considered his question. By the time Keith turned 18, he would be eligible to participate in the Trials, which would determine if he would join the Blade or Daibazaal's military. Most trainees who failed the Trials end up going into their planet's military program, but Krolia was confident her son had what it took to join the Blade like she did at his age. Her position on the council held little weight in the matter of whether or not he would get in. 

 

On the other hand, being 18 would also allow him to enroll in Starfleet's four-year space exploration training program. If he proved to be anything else like his father, Keith could eventually become captain of his very own spacecraft within a few years of completion.

 

Both paths would have their challenges and rewards. Death, however, would always be within arm's length regardless of which path he chose. Krolia remembered the stories she and her mate had shared early on in their relationship, about friends and comrades lost in the line of duty. While trained Galra such as herself were prepared to die when necessary, she learned humans to be quite different, as her mate was always more affected by the loss. His open vulnerability and her comfort were some of the early foundations of their relationship. She would never admit it aloud, but ever since her mate’s passing, Krolia had a lingering fear she would lose Keith next. 

 

But, ultimately, it was her son's life.

 

So, Krolia gave him the only answer she had. 

 

"I think we would both want you to do whatever feels right for _you_ and not anyone else." 

 

That seemed to be enough for Keith. His eyes started to look a little distant, the same look he would get whenever he looked at the stars in the desert or thought about the future. Before she knew it he was pressing back into her embrace, his shoulders free of the earlier tension under her palms. 

 

"Thanks mom," he said. 

 

Krolia closed her eyes and hummed in response. 

 

The next four years were nowhere near enough time left with her boy, but she would make due with what they had. His father would've agreed. 

**Author's Note:**

> let's yell about s6 and sheith together [here](http://hyxlyns.tumblr.com/)


End file.
